Timwin

??? How do you know??? It can really be the opposite, Greece out and Euro lower.

eurozoners are quite happy actually with euro with clear majority wanting to keep it in almost every country

??? Oh really??? Actually many people is just tired of this sh*t euro currency and want their old currency back. EURO is not a currency, it’s a governing body and is killing us.

For Southern Europeans it brought a stable currency with much lower interest rates. Italy and Spain both hit double digit interest rates in the 90's and high inflation.

I pass on this, I don't have time to show you it means nothing.

Kicking them out? Who the <deleted>*k are you to speak like that? There's people and children dying there because of the stupid austerity imposed by the euro bureaucrats.

So, to sum up, you wrote loads of BS.

Greeks behave like little spoiled children with no responsilibity and want us to bail them out time after time! Maybe it is time to show them the door. Euro is not for bullshit people with bullshit governments. Good luck trying to convince foreign creditors to "trust' Greeks this time...

This will kill the ED business. Not many want to be constantly harassed by immigration officials like you are a parolee and may or may not give you 7 days, 15 days, 30 days, 60 days or maybe if they are in a good mood, 90 days!

In civilized world there are exams with clear requirements given beforehand for this, not some random questions by unqualified stamp pushers who may or may not like your face today.

Forex markets are a peculiar beast. Eurozone has had massive trade surplus since Jan 2013 while USA and UK are once again making record trade deficits. This year eurozone is going to bypass China as the world's largest trade surplus holder. The exports out of eurozone are doing fantastic and it is not just Germany doing it. Even Italy has recently achieved trade surplus months. It is kind of funny neither USA or UK has achieved that for decades now, not even for a month.

Still, the consensus is at the moment that USA is supposedly somehow doing better. Well, that is mostly another talk down job from American and British traders and commenters. It is just mostly backed up with hyped up and massaged statistics. They just love to hate the euro no matter what.

It depends now how the Greek situation will be handled. They are just totally hopeless with their tax evasion and useless, corrupted governments. Kicking them out and leaving for the wolves would definitely skyrocket the euro back to 1.30-1.40. Probably somekind of compromise will be reached between outright default and cutting down the debt. The thing is nobody trusts them anymore, so many broken promises and half assed reforms making things even worse for the Greeks.

What most traders ignore is the fact eurozoners are quite happy actually with euro with clear majority wanting to keep it in almost every country. For Southern Europeans it brought a stable currency with much lower interest rates. Italy and Spain both hit double digit interest rates in the 90's and high inflation. Just like in Russia today, definitely not a good business environment today.

Why would someone here who legitimately wants to study then decide he wants to run a business? You've more or less admitted your objective is just to stay in Thailand and that Ed visa just provided you with the easiest, least expensive way to game the system because you don't meet the qualifications for most other long-stay options.

As was suggested, if you want to stay here, go for the Thai Elite card. Then feel free to say that they want your money ... which, when you think about it, is one of the few sensible reasons why any country would want foreigners to stay with them.

Maybe we should meet. I &lt;deleted&gt; carry you over the border, whether you resist or not. We do not need your kind of patronizing &lt;deleted&gt; here.

Ah a quality student on an Ed visa, wonder if he is a digital pikey as well ? Wonder which school in Pattaya ? Guess his attendance register was up to date

Over 17000 posts...that's a lot of work. You yourself are a "digital pikey"! Or more like "digital whiney".

Thailand will end up losing money with this idiotic harassment treatment. Just like with the tourist visa hassle last summer. 20-25 percent less tourists during the first 9 months of this year, depending on location.

You basically pay about 60000 Baht per year to be treated and supervised like a god damn parolee every 90 days. The majority of ED visa holders are one year students and 4 hours per week gave them a nice opportunity to live in Thailand for a while. Most schools offer only 3 years max anyway, so it is hardly a long term solution for illegal workers. It was a nice win-win-win for everybody involved.

Get married and do a visa run to border every 90 days. No need for that 400K or income of 40K per month.

Airport can get real busy at times and sometimes trade around various hotels and areas can appear brisk. But make no mistake, tourism is in a melt down.

Spend per capita, spend per diem down, duration down and advance bookings in the loo.

Perhaps its time for another crackdown?

Yes, tourism is taking a big hit:

"In the first nine months of the year, Pattaya has seen only 6 million visitors, down about two million during the same period last year".

http://www.pattayamail.com/business/tourism-down-20-in-2014-high-season-looking-disappointing-pbta-says-42565

It could be selective punishments towards certain schools or/and local interpretation of the rules.

Ireland has a population of approx. 4 million how can it compare to Thailand?

Thailand, GDP, 2013: 387.3 billion USD

Ireland, GDP, 2013: 217.8 billion USD

Norway: 512.6 billion USD

Thailand with 67 million people produces per capita much less than Ireland. Norway...way up there.

The average Thai salary btw is only 13500 Baht per month.

Dimtim you should really avoid intellectual discussion because you have zero ability to separate fact from fiction.

How can Ireland have a higher GDP than Thailand? Ireland is saddled with debt and Thailand has virtually zero debt.

I know common sense is hard to come by but try finding some.

And you have zero ability to understand the concept of GDP. It has nothing to do with debt.

Ireland has quite heavy debt load due to bailing out their banks but they are improving. Japan has even greater debt load but still they are outproducing per capita much more than anybody else in Asia except few city states.

GDP per capita nowhere near TOP-30.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28PPP%29_per_capita

Thailand is number 80, 76 and 95.

There is a slow moving power struggle going on in Thailand and farangs are easy targets for everyone involved.

There could be another factor in play. Global oil demand could be peaking. Transportation sector globally use about 60-70 percent of the oil yearly produced and the highest growth sector is personal use cars.

There are multiple serious research projects of new battery technologies and many of those technologies are very promising.

As has been pointed out by several others, if he had enrolled in a course for a different language, or a course for a different specialty, he could have avoided this (as such other courses are also offered for an ED visa), yet the OP didn't do that. He, like many others, enrolled in a Thai language course, and by his own admission, never went to classes, just procured himself a visa.

That is called abusing the visa privilege. He could have just as easily have procured himself a multiple entry tourist visa, which could have been good for up to 360 days. He chose not to do so.

What part of "I can understand and speak Thai" you did not understand? Even if he had participated every class during the first half year, he still would not been able to write Thai because shools do not teach you to write during the first year except few rare exceptions.

So his situation would have been exactly the same. He probably went to a couple of first lessons and found it too elementary.

<Flame/baiting remark removed>

Also, let's be honest - the OP also had ample opportunity to learn to speak and read/write Thai during his prior 8 years that he lived in the country, while married to a Thai. He also stated that he did not feel like attending classes, because he knew how to speak Thai to whatever degree he felt was passable.

The fact is simply that he used the ED visa to skirt having to get a regular visa, and was abusing the visa process. He was (unfortunately) caught, and the immigration officer was perform their lawful duty. Case closed.

Could you point out where in the tourist visa or any other visa except ED it says "you must learn Thai"?! Your kinds of &lt;deleted&gt; really piss me off. Where the &lt;deleted&gt; you came from...go back there. I can help you pack without any extra charge.

With 2240 USD it is already quite close to the costs of Thai Elite card, which is about 3200 dollars per year. Of course you have to pay that 500 000 Baht at once.

Why kill a golden goose? The current system works really well for everybody. A lot of farangs learn Thai, Thai teachers improve their English at the same time and many Thais earn their living from the schools.

It is like they are trying to find ways to prevent farangs from spending their own hard earned money in Thailand. Totally idiotic.

In a way it is good he said all of that. He unintentionally exposed the absurdity of the situation. It could force many Thais to think why the situation is so absurd and ironic. Why the political system is not working for them despite countless elections and countless parties.

It is like the General has one angel and one demon talking on his shoulders at the same time. One sentence from the angel and then the next from the demon.

"I am for democracy! But not yet! Arrest those students with 3 fingered salute! But treat them well! Send them to reeducation! Elections next year! Ban those protesting students from universities!"

Four pillars are needed for a functioning democracy.

1. Adequate law framework to protect individual's and company rights

2. Voting based political system and and functioning, relatively corrupt free executive branch (justice system/police)

3. Market economy.

4. Enough educated citizens.

I think Thailand has 1 and 3. The laws are almost there (except too restricted foreign ownership rules) but the politicians, judges and cops are too biased towards the Bangkok elite and quite corrupted.

When it comes to number 4, Thailand's literacy rate is 93.5 percent, which is at Mexico-Vietnam level. India for example only has 74.4 percent and China 95. Australia as a bad performer among western nations has 96. The education system in Thailand might be bad but I'd not say they are uneducated like for example in Africa or Middle East.

The main problem obviously is the number 2. The political power is also too concentrated to Bangkok and favoring the city at the expense of the rest of the country.

Here is an example how much better is to have fair terms for foreigner owned companies.

Estonia GDP per capita was in 1993 about 4650 dollars and GDP 3.88 billion dollars.

In 2013 the same ratio was 12043 dollars and GDP 24.48 billion dollars.

You can own your company 100 percent and only the profits are taxed when you take money out of your company. Flat income tax about 20 percent. Setting up everything is fast and efficient.

Compared to Thailand:

In 1993 the GDP ratio was 1945 dollars. GDP was 111 billion dollars.

In 2013 it was 3437 dolllars per capita and 387 billion dollars.

3.49 bigger economy vrs. 6.31 in Estonia.

The economy of Thailand is growing really at anemic rate compared to more free Estonia.

It is all very simple, those who are able to live or work in Thailand long term by abiding the terms and conditions imposed by the Immigration and trade departments have no problems and will not have any prejudices displayed against them. For those who for one reason or another are unable to hack it here have the choices of moving on if they feel will be more appreciated elsewhere as in your case and there are better opportunities for small company operators in other countries.

You law&order guys are funny, assuming Thailand is somehow a corruption free utopia. Always the same excuse to explain away any idiotic laws is the "if the farangs only had obeyed the laws and jumped as high they required us to do!".

It is just a comfy mental pillow to hide against the ugly reality. That farangs are less and less welcomed in Thailand.

Using a visa for a purpose other than the purpose for which is was issued is an incorrect use, an abuse, of the visa.

So what is the difference between student and non-attending student? Tell me, how is that abuse? It seems some of you here would deport for jaywalking if it were up to you.

Deporting for mere non-attending of classes with no prove of working illegally or criminal activities. Jaysus! That is basically deporting for jaywalking.

If the costs go up to 70000-80000 Baht per year due to 10 hours per week, you might as well apply for the elite card with 500000 Baht per 5 year.

this is going to make an ED visa (with extensions) an expensive option in Bangkok and Phuket now

Yes, instead of 25-30 000, it could be soon 70-80 000 Baht per year. It will cut down the business considerably.